Wayne Rooney believes he had to adopt a selfish approach to make the most of his career.

Sick of repeatedly being played away from the central forward areas the 27-year-old feels he is best suited to, it seems Rooney's Manchester United career has been saved by Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.

There certainly appeared to be little future for Rooney with the Scot in charge.

Yet under David Moyes he is flourishing again, restored to the position he likes best.

"There came a point where I had to be a bit selfish for my own career," said Rooney.

"Everyone at the club knew where I wanted to play. That wasn't happening.

"I've had no problem playing out of position in the past, but I'm a forward and I felt I deserved the right to play in my position.

The knowledge Ferguson, who was handed a seat on the board by United and retained at an estimated cost of £2million, would remain an influential figure led the former Everton man to conclude his days were numbered.

Instead, Moyes made keeping Rooney his major summer target.

And with United refusing to countenance selling to a major domestic rival, he had no choice but to stay.

As Ferguson remains in the background and easily capable of causing major difficulty should he so wish, Rooney's future is not entirely resolved.

But Ferguson did make placatory statements in his United States TV interview last week and although Rooney's contractual situation - he has less than two years to run on his current deal - is also uncertain, it now appears, more than at any other stage, he will be staying at United.

"I know from the outside looking in it might not have seemed like that, but I have been settled all summer," he said.

"I spoke with the people who matter at the club and we knew what we were doing. The club made that clear.

"My wife had a new child and I've been really happy.

"I'm not going to go on saying I wanted to stay or I wanted to leave.

"I just want to concentrate on my football. We'll see what happens after that."

Rooney's comments endorse the word that came out of United's training ground very early in the summer that he was looking sharper than he had done for any pre-season in years.

It was Ferguson's belief if Rooney missed one game he needed two to get fit.

Under Moyes' training regime that does not appear to be the case.

"The training has been so hard," said Rooney.

"We've done a lot of different types of training, a lot more running; long running, quicker running, sharper running.

"That's been of benefit to me. I feel as fit as I have done at any point."